Apparatus for supporting roller-skaters in rinks.



v Y NQ. 895,055.

CHARLES A. sPooNER, or PHILADELPHIA, PnNNsYLvAN-In ParENr onirica.

. APPARATUS non s UPPoaTrNG noLLEBfsKA'rERs 1N nINKs. i

To all 'whom it may comem:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Srooxnn,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Im rovements in Apparatus for Su porting Ro er-Skaters in Rinks, of which t ie following is a specification.

My invention has relation to an apparat-us for supporting roller skaters in rinks; and in such connection it relates more particularly to the construction and arrangement of an elevated course or trackway and to means' carried by and sus ended from said track for sup orting the rol er skaters.

T ie principal objects of my invention are first, to provide an apparatus to permit persons to learn with ease and without danger to limb the art of roller-skating; and second, to provide for such purpose an apparatus with an elevated4 track or course upon which are adapted to travel a series of trucks or carriers from which supporting means for persons are `suspended and with ayielding device spanning each end of each of the trucks and projecting therefrom, and the yielding supporting skaters;

devices of two trucks adapted to permit of contacting with each other at a point in the central longitudinal axis of the trucks as well as at points sidewise to'such axis to prevent collision between skaters.

The nature and scope of be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accom anying drawings forming part hereof, in w lich Figure 1 is a view, illustrating in side elevation an elevated course or trackway, auxiliary tracks connectedwith the main trackway by switchesand trucks or carriers having buffers or fenders projecting therefrom and means suspended from the trucks for Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the track or course and a series of auxiliary tracks. Fig. 3 is a detail view, en

larged, illustrating partly in section and partly 1n side elevation the track or course,

i course and truck or carrier of Fie. 3; and Fig.

5 is a detail View, still further eiilarged, illustrating partly in vertical central section and y n kSpecification. of Letters Patent.

Application filed August-22, 1907.` Serial No. 389,661.

my invention will partly in side elevation, the track and the truck or carrier shown in Fig. 3. Referring to the drawings 6, is a preferably oblong course or track, which by means of hangers S, is suspended from the ceiling 9, or other portion of a building, not shown. Preferably at one side of the trackway 6, are arranged a series of auxiliary tracks 10, which by means of switches 11, arranged in the main trackway 6, and by switches 12, arranged adjacent thereto, and forming the continuation'of the outermost of the auxiliary tracks 10, are connected with the mainV trackway 6, and the latter with all of the auxiliary tracks 10,' as will be readily understood from Fig. 2.

Upon the main trackway 6, and auxiliary tracks 10, are adapted to travel a series of trucks or carriers 14, each consisting of a frame 15, bent at the upper end into a U- shape to receive the shafts 16, of flanged su porting-wheels 18, which yare substantial y surrounded by the frame 15. In addition to the supporting-wheels 18, the frame 15, is provided with flanged guide-wheels 19, engaging the underside of the track 6, and thus holding the supporting-whcels 18, and by the same the frame 15, at all times in engage- Patented Aug; 4! 1908., v L

ment with the same. 'The trucks 14, so

formed serve to carry supporting means 17, each, lconsisting of a housing 2.0, secured to the fin-me 15, and arranged below the guidewheels 19, which serve 1n conjunction with the frame 15, to s upport a shaft 2l, upon which is mounted a drum 22, connected with the shaft 21, by a spiral spring 23, as shcon in Fig. 3. The drum 22, serves to support a chain 24, which is held wound upon the same by the spiral spring 23, and for a certain portion of the length is concealed in the housing 20, for the purpose of normally holding rings 25, belts 26 or bars 28, secured to the free end of the chain 24, and extending beyond the housing 20, into a position to clear the heads of skaters or other persons 'passing beneath .the saine. However, the height in which the rings 25, belts 26 or bars 2S, are held is such-as to be still in easy reach of the handsof persons, which by taking hold of the rings or bars lower the same for iproper length by u nwindng the chain 24, om the drum 22, against the tension of the spring 23. Persons desirous of learning the art of roller-skating by means of the trucksi therefrom will be prevented from falling on the floor 7', of' theskat-ing-rink, when losing lskill to skate without the aid of the saine.

' In order to permit of the free use of the hands and remain for any time desired free from the of the skater'during skating the same can be connected with the-chain 24, by the belt 26, which is applied to the body of the skater and is connected to the chain by straps 27. The skaters vby their forward movement will move the truck 14, su porting tliesame along the trackway 6, ant if desirous of leaving this trackway by the actuation of one of the switches 11, arranged in themain trackway 6, can move the truck 14, supporting the same upon the outermost of the auxiliary tracks 10, ,or by the additional actuation of the switches 12, upon any of the auxiliary tracks 10, arranged intermediate ofthe outermost track 10, and trackway 6. On the auxiliary tracks 10, the skater can take a rest bodies of skatersl using the main trackway 6. From the auxiliary tracks 10, the skater may again reach v the main trackway by the proper actuation of the switches 11 and 12. At the same time the auxiliary tracks 10, may be used as the starting point from which the skaters are switched upon the main trackway 6.

The distance of the supportinwwheels 18 and guide-wheels 19, of the truc s 14, from A each other, and the arrangement of the supporting means 17, suspended therefrom, in the vertical central axis of the tracks and 10, prevents any possible binding of the trucks 14 on the tracks. Furthermore, to prevent collision of skaters with each other, and to hold the saine at all times a defined distance apart, each of the trucks 14, is provided with buffers or fenders 30, pro jectiiig from each end thereof. The buiers 30, preferably, consist of a strip of metal, the ends of which are suitably secured to projections 29, of the frame 15, of the trucks 14. These soforincd buffers at each end of a truck 14, are yielding and so bent or curved as to insure the contacting of the same with the buffer of an adjacent truck in the longitudinal central axis of said trucks as well as at points sidewise to such axis upon sharp curves of the -main track 6, aswell as auxil-H iary tracks T he provision of buffer devices 30, of the character defined, and arranged so as to shock when two such buffer devices come `project from each end`of-a-triick+enables tt)` in Contact with each other to be appreciably lessened. This is due to the fact that whether the contact be direct, that is, in a plane longitudinally of the cent-ral axis through the trucks, or to either side of such plane, thud or j ar is relieved by reason of the yielding character of both bow-shaped buffer devices 30 of the trucks. Iii practice it 'is highly desirable in the use of trucks of thel type explained, for roller skating purposes to be able to support the roller skating be-4 i ginners particu arly suspended therefrom" against the possibility tif-being unable to control the speed of travel of the supporting devices and should they contact violently, such is quite apt to disarrange or derail the shiftings by contact of the buffer devices 30, in' lsuch cases with two trucks. At the same 'saine and thereby to cause bodily harm, '1 which is entirely obviated by the respective time the main track 6, by 'proper actuation of the switches 11 and 12, may be extended v by the outermost of the auxiliary tracks 10, or by any of the auxiliary tracksintermediate of the outermost track 10, and main trackway 6.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z- An apparatus of the character-described, comprising a track, trucks supported by the track, supporting means suspended from the l trucks, and a bow-shape spring device secured at its extremities to cach end of each truck, the bows of which devices project from the ends o f said trucks, said 4spring devices of twov trucks being capable of sidewise displacement with respect to the trucks and permitting contact with each other at a point in the central longitudinal axis of the trucks as well as at points sidewise to such axis.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. CHARLES A. SPOONER.

Witnesses:

THOMAS M. SMITH, VILHELM VoG'r. 

